Cultural values, institutional arrangements and stakeholder management culture

Purpose This study draws upon the cultural values model, institutional theory and comparative capitalism to investigate differences in organizations’ approach to stakeholder management across country boundaries. Design/methodology/approach The authors developed a multi-dimensional scale, following the stakeholder culture framework (Jones et al., 2007) to identify differences in the prevalent stakeholder cultures in the USA, Italy and Japan. Data were collected in form of a questionnaire from managers of 530 companies in the USA, Italy and Japan. Findings Results show that there are important differences in the extent to which different stakeholder cultures exist in each of these three countries, and that the prevalence of stakeholder culture types in each country is influenced by the country’s cultural values and institutional arrangements. Originality/value Understanding stakeholder management beyond the conventional firm level to a wider institutional setting has important implications for the dissemination of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices across cultures. Developing an understanding of how organizations’ stakeholder management approaches are embedded in the context of the institutional arrangements that exist in a particular country will lead to CSR practices that are better suited to the specific national context. It may also help in a more widespread acceptance of these concepts and practices.

A systematic literature review of responsible leadership

Purpose This study aims to provide a point of reference and another of guidance for future research on the topic of responsible leadership by exploring its challenges, outcomes and practices. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of the literature, originally adopted from the medical sciences but also used in management and leadership studies, was conducted to integrate research in an organized, translucent and reproducible manner. The final sample of 46 empirical and conceptual studies were scientifically screened and synthesized. Findings The synthesis revealed that balancing stakeholder needs, personal characteristics and organizational structures are the main challenges against responsible leadership, whereas financial benefits, employees-related benefits and reputational gains among others are the main outcomes. Practices pinpointed, while scarce, are represented in nurturing a stakeholder culture, and engaging employee-related and human-resource-responsible functions. Originality/value This study contributes to the development of responsible leadership.

Examining the association between stakeholder culture, stakeholder salience and stakeholder engagement activities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between stakeholder culture, stakeholder salience and firm response to stakeholder demands, based on the stakeholder culture framework. Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted in a field setting involving 292 mid-level managers who completed measures of stakeholder culture and stakeholder engagement activities (SEAs) in their organizations. Findings – Results show that managers in organizations with different stakeholder cultures differentially ascribe and weigh the three attributes of power, legitimacy, and urgency when determining stakeholder salience. In addition, stakeholder culture is also associated with how managers respond to stakeholder issues in terms of SEAs. Research limitations/implications – Findings of the study justify the need to extend the stakeholder salience theory beyond the values of senior managers to include organization-level factors. This study is largely exploratory and the relationships that have been observed are associational in character. Practical implications – Results show that both ascription of stakeholder salience and the nature of SEAs are associated with stakeholder culture prevalent in an organization. This implies that managers may face constraints in managing stakeholder relationships, regardless of their personal values and beliefs, and may have to make deliberate efforts to modify the culture. Originality/value – Despite the fact that researchers have been urged to examine how organization-level phenomena guide managerial thinking and decision making with respect to stakeholder relationships, empirical research on the topic is lacking. This study contributes to the emerging research on firm-level perspective on stakeholder management.

Moral Salience and the Role of Goodwill in Firm-Stakeholder Trust Repair

ABSTRACT:Re-establishing trust presents a complex challenge for a firm after it commits corporate misconduct. We introduce a new construct, moral salience, which we define as the extent to which the firm’s behavior is morally noticeable to the stakeholder. Moral salience is a function of both the moral intensity of the firm’s behavior and the relational intensity of the firm-stakeholder psychological contract. We apply this moral salience construct to firm misconduct to develop a model of trust repair that is based on goodwill, and moderated by the firm’s stakeholder culture.

Strategies to deal with comorbid physical illness in psychosis

Individuals with serious mental illnesses such as psychosis still experience higher mortality rates than the general population, decades after data have linked the gap to increased rates of physical illness, delayed diagnosis, low treatment rates and worse outcomes from treatment received. The nature of the relationship between psychosis and comorbid physical illness is complex. Multiple strategies directed at different levels of disease process, health care systems and stakeholder culture are likely required to make sustained progress in reducing the mortality gap. Evidence for strategies that effectively reduce the burden of physical co-morbidity and lead to improved health outcomes are still in their infancy but growing at a reassuringly fast rate. This editorial considers the existing evidence base and makes suggestions for the development and future direction of this urgent research agenda and how this knowledge can be implemented in clinical practice.